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Thrombin Inhibitors from Haematophagous Animals

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Toxins and Hemostasis

Abstract

To facilitate the feeding of blood, hematophagous animals use pharmacologically active molecules to ensure free-flowing of blood at both the feeding site and within the digestion system. A number of these exogenous anticoagulants have been identified and characterized in recent years. Among them, inhibitors of thrombin form the largest group both in terms of number and diversity. To date, more than 30 different exogenous thrombin inhibitors from hematophagous animals, grouped into at least 15 unique structural classes, have been reported in the literature. In this chapter, we discuss five representative classes in detail with insights from their high resolution structures in complex with thrombin.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Superscripted prefixes ‘T’, ‘H’, ‘M’, ‘B’, ‘O’, ‘R’, ‘A’ and ‘V’ were used to indicate residues of thrombin, hirudin, haemadin, boophilin, ornithodorin, rhodniin, triabin and variegin, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by academic research grants from National University of Singapore, Singapore.

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  1. Protein Science Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Singapore

    Cho Yeow Koh & R. Manjunatha Kini

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  1. Cho Yeow Koh
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  2. R. Manjunatha Kini
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Correspondence to R. Manjunatha Kini .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Science Drive 4 14, Singapore, 117543, Singapore

    R. Manjunatha Kini

  2. , Department of Haematology, University of Berne, Inselspital, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland

    Kenneth J Clemetson

  3. , Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern California, Health Sciences Campus/9270, Los Angeles, 90089, USA

    Francis S. Markland

  4. , Medical Technology, University of Delaware, 305G Willard Hall Educ Bld, Newark, 19716, Delaware, USA

    Mary Ann McLane

  5. , Biochemistry, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Nishio Kiyose 2-522-1, Tokyo, 204-8588, Japan

    Takashi Morita

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Koh, C.Y., Kini, R.M. (2010). Thrombin Inhibitors from Haematophagous Animals. In: Kini, R., Clemetson, K., Markland, F., McLane, M., Morita, T. (eds) Toxins and Hemostasis. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9295-3_15

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